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Delbarton stays on top with 4-1 win over DBP

January 8, 2012 on 8:09 pm | In game recap | Comments Off on Delbarton stays on top with 4-1 win over DBP

As expected, No. 1 Delbarton stayed on top of the state rankings with a 4-1 win over No. 2 Don Bosco Prep Sunday night before a paid crowd of 566 at the Ice Vault in Wayne. The killer goal came with just three seconds remaining in the second period, as Delbarton’s John Baicco scored in a 4-on-4 situation to restore the Green Wave’s two-goal advantage, and the issue was never in doubt after that.

Delbarton (9-1) extended its in-state unbeaten streak to 33 games (32-0-1) and is 65-1-1 in its last 67 games against New Jersey competition, dating back to 2009. The Green Wave now face four consecutive Gordon Conference games against South Jersey opposition, beginning Tuesday against Bishop Eustace. Don Bosco Prep (13-1) suffered its first loss of the season and returns to action on Friday in the quarterfinals of the inaugural Bergen County Tournament.

The first period was one-way traffic, with Delbarton almost setting up camp in the Don Bosco half of the ice and running up a 12-2 shot advantage. The Green Wave did not break the deadlock, however, until the 13-minute mark, as defenseman Tommy Muratore made a right-wing rush and threw the puck in front of the net, where forward Tommy Fowler was able to sweep it under Don Bosco goalie Jarred Liscio. Delbarton then stunned the Ironmen just 14 seconds into the second period, with Alex Hagerty feeding sophomore Chad Otterman in the left circle, and he rifled an impressive snap shot past Liscio up high.

Don Bosco Prep did get back into the game late in the period, aided by Delbarton penalties. Less than 30 seconds after Delbarton’s Colton Phinney made four saves on the game’s first power play, the Ironmen pulled a goal back when a point shot from Rory Garlasco slipped through Phinney, and Lucas Lappino was on hand to poke it home. The goal, with 4:01 remaining in the period, brought the Don Bosco students to their feet and raised the atmosphere of the game.

But they key play came in the final minute of the second period, as a Don Bosco power play was quickly nullified by a penalty, leading to a four-on-four situation. After Drew Melanson put in a long shift to get the puck deep, Green Wave forward John Baicco walked out of the left corner and made a slick move to fake out Liscio before sliding in a shot with just three seconds remaining in the period, restoring Delbarton’s two-goal advantage. The goal effectively killed Don Bosco’s momentum and set the stage for a third period that was short on drama.

The four-time defending private state champions put the game out of reach at the 5:48 mark, as Trevor Agostino whipped a rebound past Liscio up high to provide the final margin of 4-1.

Delbarton 4, Don Bosco Prep 1

Scoring

Del	1	2	1		4
DBP	0	1	0		1

Shots

Del	12	6	4		22
DBP	2	5	7		14

1st
13:00 Del #8 Tommy Fowler (#6 Tommy Muratore, #26 Trevor Agostino)
2nd
0:14 Del #21 Chad Otterman (#18 Alex Hagerty, #11 Davis Agostino)
10:59 DBP #25 Lucas Luppino (#8 Rory Garlasco, #9 Justin McKenzie)
14:57 Del #12 John Baiocco (unassisted)
3rd
5:48 Del #26 Trevor Agostino (#10 Chad Heal, #11 Davis Agostino)
Goalies
#1 Colton Phinney (Del) 14-13
#31 Jarred Lisco (DBP) 22-18
Power plays: Del 0-1, DBP 0-5